


Waking Up To Christmas

by Athar Riordan (Atharian)



Category: Almost Human (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Guardian-Ward Relationship, Original Character(s), Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23529109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Atharian/pseuds/Athar%20Riordan
Summary: Pre-Series Drabble. Eleven year old Kellan Hannigan wakes up to Christmas with her temporary guardian, John Kennex.  (originally written in 2014)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Waking Up To Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> While searching for another fanfiction piece, I found this on my hard drive. I know it's not Christmas, but if there was a time for a bit of fluff, it would be now. I don't remember If I was going to add any more to this, so I'm marking this as complete.

A young girl awoke on christmas morning. Taking a minute to recall where she was - and who she was staying with - Kellan Hannigan allows herself to relax. After being moved around so much over the past few years, finding herself somewhere she knew she was safe was a luxury.

  
Easing herself out of the large bed situated in the guestroom of her guardian's apartment, Kellan gave a little squeak at the coldness of the floor beneath her bare feet, before making a beeline for the drawer her socks were kept in.

  
Opening the sliding door, Kellan stepped into the small hallway that would lead to the open planned apartment which had become her home of sorts for the past month. When she had first stepped out into this slightly darkened hallway, she hadn't known what to think - having been asleep when she had been first brought here (a fact that she still felt embarrassed about even now) - but as the weeks had passed without any incident (afterall, someone could be nice for the public yet could be as mean as hell behind closed doors), the preteen had figured that maybe some of her perceptions of the man who was currently taking of her were made too prematurely. So the guy had arrested her brother and sent him to Juvie, but he'd stuck around - even if sticking around initially meant constantly being on your case simply because you happened to be near a car that had just had it's window broken and it's circuit hotwired - and now... now Kellan had to begrudgingly admit that he was okay.

  
Walking into the main area of the apartment; Kellan offered a weak smile to the detective; who was currently sitting at the counter on the other side of the room, holding a coffee cup in his hand as he watched the grey dawn light, brighten. John Kennex had been up for a couple of hours now; so used to be going to work on Christmas Day to cover for those who had families to spend the holidays with - but this year, he had been one of those asking for the few days around christmas off. It was amazing how quickly you had to change plans when being charged with a kid - even if this kid had been forced to grow up quicker than most.

Catching sight of the preteen as she stepped into the large living area; John's lips curled into a small smile at the girl's slight tentativeness even now. It was still surprising him; the contrast of the youngster's personality. The sassy youngster he had grown used to in the open, turned into a quiet natured young girl who was hardly any trouble at all (and who found the furniture to be a great source of amusement as she used the sofa and chairs as an obstacle course - despite such personality traits being too childish for someone her age) when behind closed doors.  
John was still becoming accustomed to finding his real paper books - which he admittedly hadn't touched in years, and most of which had belonged to his father - in odd places from where the youngster had been reading them.

"Good Morning," he greeted, as the young girl came over to the counter; her hand coming up to brush away a stray vagrant of brown hair behind her ear. 

"Morning," Kellan replied quietly, as she climbed up onto the still slightly high stool and sat down; her legs swinging slightly as she settled herself and automatically reached for the glass of juice John now always put out for the youngster in the morning.

"You sleep okay?" Kennex asked around the coffee cup he had brought up to take a drink from; seeing the girl nod in return. Lowering the cup, John thought for a moment, before silently picking up a small package that had been sitting on the empty stool beside his and sliding it over the table to Kellan. "Here,"

Kellan frowned, as she lowered the glass and reached for the slightly messily wrapped package. She glanced between it and Kennex; slightly warily. "What is it?"

"Why don't you open it and find out?" The dark haired man asked, a raised eyebrown accompanying his question.

Kellan swallowed, as her attention returned to the package; her fingers clumsily ripping the paper until she was able to reach the package's contents and pull it out. It was a book - a real book- and the preteen recognised it immediately.

"Why-Why are you... giving me a book?" she asked, with confusion; looking up. "Why are you giving me one of your books?"

"It's not my book anymore- it's yours," Kennex replied. "And as to why I'm giving it you, is simple. Merry Christmas. "


End file.
